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Weston Observatory (Boston College)

Weston Observatory is a geophysical research laboratory of the Department of Geology and Geophysics at Boston College. The Observatory is located in the town of Weston, Massachusetts, about 13 miles west of downtown Boston.

Caption text

The Observatory houses seismic instruments for the World-Wide Standardized Seismic Network (WWSSN) and for the New England Seismic Network (NESN) as well as office and lab space and a geophysics library. The Observatory's staff monitors the Northeast United States for earthquake activity New England and disseminates information pertinent to any seismic events that are recorded.

History

The first seismographs in Weston were installed at the Campion Center, next to the current Observatory, and began recording earthquakes in January of 1931. The instruments were maintained by the Jesuits for many decades and were relocated to the newly built Weston College (now the Weston Observatory) in 1949. The Observatory became affiliated with Boston College in 1947 and the buildings and grounds were bought by BC in the late 1970’s. The WWSSN instruments were installed late in 1961.

Research

Seismic Monitoring of New England

Weston Observatory operates a network of 15 seismographs throughout New England called the New England Seismic Network (NESN). Most stations operate the Trillium 120PA broadband seismometer with a Reftek-147 accelerometer while others continue to operate the Guralp CMG-40T broadband seismometer. All stations have a RefTek-130 data logger that transmits ground motion data to the Observatory over the internet. Data from each NESN station, as well as data from stations in the region maintained by other agencies, is stored by Earthworm software and analyzed continuously by event detection programs. Also, seismologists at the Observatory regularly check the data and confirm reports of earthquakes either from the detection program or from reports of felt tremors from the public.

Geologic Studies

Geologists at Weston Observatory study of the assembly and breakup of supercontinents through time, map and analyze the regional geology of selected localities in terranes surrounding the Atlantic Ocean. Having been at an active plate margin millions of years ago, the northeastern states of the U.S. have very complex and interesting geology. Fr. James Skehan researches the local geology of southern New England and has written a number of local geology books including the Roadside Geology of Massachusetts and the Roadside Geology of Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Paleobotany Laboratory

The Paleobotany Laboratory at Weston Observatory is engaged in research on the origin and early evolution of land plants based on fossil spores from lower Paleozoic rocks from around the world.